UFO Sighting, Leadville, Colorado (Photograph)

This document file details the investigation of a UFO sighting reported by a Canadian tourist in Leadville, Colorado, on June 4, 1960. The witness, who was on holiday, captured a color slide of an object he described as extremely bright, luminous, and resembling a pair of oscillating saucers. He reported that the object performed a dive and then climbed rapidly, disappearing from view within 1-3 seconds. The witness later obtained his camera to photograph a second, similar object. The report includes a Project 10073 record card and extensive correspondence between the Aerospace Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the US Air Attache in Ottawa, Canada. ATIC requested detailed information from the witness, including camera settings, the direction of the camera, and whether the photo was taken through a window. The witness provided technical details, noting he used a Zeiss Contessa camera with a 1/500 shutter speed and that the photo was not taken through a window. ATIC analysts performed a rigorous evaluation of the photographic evidence. They calculated that if the object were 10 miles away, it would have been traveling at 7,200,000 knots, which they deemed physically impossible. They noted that the trail visible on the photograph was not visible to the naked eye and that the camera appeared to be level with the horizon rather than pointed at the object. The final ATIC conclusion was that the object was likely a lenticular cloud and that the streaks on the photograph were likely caused by imperfections on a window pane, despite the witness's claim that the photo was not taken through glass. The file concludes with a request for the return of the slide and a final assessment from the Photo Analysis Branch suggesting that future sightings should be evaluated by them before additional information is requested from the source to ensure proper context regarding the conditions of the photography.